


Ashen Wake

by amethystinesaint



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Gals being pals, Gen, just some casual god slaying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-06-25 14:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystinesaint/pseuds/amethystinesaint
Summary: The story of Ava Venquist, renowned Sunbreaker mercenary, the Hivesbane, hero of the Red War, Rivensbane, and many other titles she doesn't care about. (also lesbian)





	1. Resurrection

Two corsairs stared into the deep dark of the Reef. The watch for intruders was a necessary one, as the Queen certainly didn't need any unwanted guests. It had been quiet in this sector of space though, and they passed the time watching the week's best Crucible highlights and replays. Suddenly the scanners lit up, and sure enough, when they looked out of the portside window they saw a Ghost flying about, poking around the debris of decimated asteroids and broken ships. "Let's hope the scavengers don't get to it too quickly. " one of the Corsairs muttered, settling back down into her seat and checking the scanners one last time. Within a few minutes the Ghost was already long gone, and long forgotten. 

The Ghost didn't know what possessed him to take him all the way out here in the Reef. Maybe it was the Traveler, he thought, but it's been long asleep. Maybe it was just wanderlust. Either way, he was here, and there was no turning back. Thoroughly checking every single room and every escape pod he could find, he was determined. He came to a Galliot, the paint still on it, albeit in rough, rusty patches. It seemed promising. The front hull was split wide open, and he could see the space-frozen body of a woman lying in the cockpit. This could actually be it, he thought! After all this time of searching, he finally might have found the one. In his excitement he nearly tried to resurrect her on the spot, but reminded himself that Humans can't breathe in space. "That could've been a bad one." he said to the corpse. It would be weird talking to someone for one. After patching up the ship with some scrap from the other decayed ships, he got it back up and running. Finally, it was time. 

She awoke, choking and desperately gasping for air. After a few moments, she could breathe again. Muscle memory took over and she clawed her way around her ship, trying to run diagnostics and check scanners until she noticed the little orange floating drone flying frantically around her. "Shanks! What the hell are you?" she yelled, instinctively reaching for her service pistol but found nothing. "It's okay! I'm not here to hurt you." it said, but she was no less confused. "What are you… What am I doing here? Wasn't I dead?" she interrogated the thing. "You were, but I rezzed you. I found you. I finally found you!" it exclaimed as it buzzed happily around the ship. "Sorry. You probably have a lot of questions."   
"You're damn right I do. You better start talking some actual sense before I shoot you out of the garbage chute."   
"Alright, I get it. I'm your Ghost. You're my Guardian. You have no idea how long I've been looking for you. As soon as you're ready, we should make it to the Tower." Soon, the realization had sunk into her head. She'd heard of Ghosts, but never actually saw one in person before. "Why didn't you let me stay dead? I didn't ask for this." she asked, anger rising in her voice. "I understand, you're confused, and you're scared. Listen to me. The Traveler sent me to find you for a reason. You're destined for something great. You'll see, I promise you. But first, it isn't safe here. We need to get to the Tower." He punched the coordinates to the Last City into the ship, but before he could send them en route she stood up to face him. "No! We aren't going anywhere. I'm going to try and contact the Queen, the Corsairs, something! This isn't right. I remember dying! Why would you bring me back?" she screamed, the panic was setting in. "I don't even remember who I am!" 

She slumped back into the seat and looked at her suit. She rifled through any pockets she could find, before she found a tag wrapped up in a purple ribbon. 'Ava Venquist' it had read. 'Her Majesty's Corsair.' No wonder she had felt a strange urge to go back to the Queen. She didn't even remember who the Queen was. "Where's the Queen?" she asked him. "At the Vestian Outpost. I guess it's not too far, and with this ship, hopefully they won't think we're hostile."   
"Then let's go. I want to find someone that can tell me who I am." she pleaded. 'I want to go home,' she thought, but she didn't know why it was home. This life was going to take a lot of getting used to.


	2. Honing the Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ava's first mission as a guardian, and the adjustment of living life as one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> taking a few liberties with the destiny timeline lmao

She had no idea where to begin when she landed at the Outpost. A woman approached her, and Ava thought she was the most official-looking person here. "You don't look like an ordinary Corsair. Ghost and the thousand yard stare kinda gave it away."

"Yeah, well uh… I woke up and thought I'd come here. Considering my past life." 

The woman put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you, sister. You'll have to see the Vanguard about your, eh, situation." She looked her over with her one eye. "Would there be any way of figuring out what happened to me?" Ava asked. "If it wasn't too long ago, maybe. You're lucky, most Guardians don't get that luxury." She turned and walked to a panel by the edge of the docks and started scrolling through records. "Do you know what your name is?" 

"Ava Venquist. Apparently."

"Hm. I'm Petra, by the way. It's a shame we had to meet this way." she said, lowering her head. Finally it seemed she found what she was looking for. "According to our records, you went MIA during the Reef Wars. Ironic, considering what's happened." 

"Which is what, exactly?" Ava huffed. 

"Well, Skolas, who started the wars, was released from the Nine's captivity, and started his rampage all over again. You should get to the Vanguard, they'll help you get situated. Whenever you're ready, you can come back and we'll get started." Petra gave her a weary smile. Ava modded and turned to leave. Her stupid ghost was right after all.

***

"-and Ikora is the Warlock Vanguard. She's my favorite. She always lets me read from her personal library!" Ava's ghost said with a twirl. He was giving her a short introduction to the Vanguard, and what to expect with meeting them. She wasn't sure if she'd like them or not. She didn't even know if she liked the Tower or not, but here she was anyways. To no surprise, she wasn't exactly impressed with them. With a huff, she went to the Gunsmith and acquired her first weapon: a hand cannon that was nearly the size of her forearm. Her life as a Guardian had officially begun.

Wielding the Light was very uncomfortable, at first. The first time she called upon it, she materialized it into a hammer, which she turned a Dreg into ashes with. Newly resurrected Titans that can use Solar energy were rare, and in time this drew the attention of the Sunbreakers. Her Ghost told her they were a rogue sect of Guardians, working as mercenaries that weren't bound by the laws of the Vanguard. Ava still wasn't sure if this was the best path for her, but she accepted their invitation. They trained her, gave her arms and companionship, and most importantly, reforged her life into a new, radiant beginning. She finally felt she was ready to face the dangers of her stolen other-life.

She worked with Petra on tracking down Skolas and recapturing him. Her Light was still dull and unrefined, and the challenge Skolas posed just made it more apparent. Conquering this Eliksni would be the first step in sharpening herself into a weapon of true beauty. 

When she first landed on Venus, she could feel the anticipation deep within her growing. She stalked the Venusian cave systems, and she encountered Skolas much sooner than she expected. She had sent him on the run, and in no time, she was standing over his body as he was being transmatted into a prison ship bound for the Prison of Elders. This was the first defining event of her new life, and for the first time she was excited for where it would lead.

After defeating Skolas, Ava had begun making a name for herself after a few years of doing mercenary work and bodyguard jobs. The fact that a Guardian that was not even of the City had recaptured and killed Skolas was news throughout the system, which made sure she had no deficit of jobs. In her downtime she competed in the Crucible, where she thrived. As a Sunbreaker, she technically wasn't allowed in the Crucible, but Shaxx wasn't one to refuse one with undeniable potential. She loved the glory of beating City guardians, and every match won proved that she was something to fear. Ava had finally found her purpose in this new life, the thrill of crushing her enemies. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for everyone that's read so far! id absolutely love any comments or suggestions, im very excited to keep writing this story!


	3. Return to the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new threat is posed to the system and Ava meets her new fireteam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ava gets a hunter gf

She was on a job when Oryx and his Taken entered the system. Mid hammer-swing, Ouros started speaking suddenly, commanding Ava to come back to their stronghold on Mercury. When her hammer connected with the Captain's abdomen and folded it in on itself with the force, she immediately transmatted out of the ketch and back to her ship. She didn't know what was going on but it sounded serious, and she was not going to get chewed out by Ouros another time.

She laughed when her comrades told her that Zavala was welcoming them back to the City to help with this new crisis. After killing one Hive god, were they really so pathetic to beg for help when they came back for retribution? It was hardly believable, but she didn't care, as it only meant she got to fry more Hive. 

Landing at the Tower once again was an interesting feeling, to say the least. Even her Ghost, who she named Kindle for his warm orange shell and her affinity to flame, felt uncomfortable coming back. The other Guardians just stared at her, and she stared blazing holes back into them. She was excited to prove herself to these people, and show them that she was brighter than any Light in the confines of this city. 

Much to her chagrin, since the fight on Oryx and his horde was a Vanguard operation, she was forced to become part of a fireteam. The first of her new teammates was an Exo Warlock named Exodus-2. He was short and had red eyes that made Ava uneasy. At least now she knew how other people felt around her. The other was a Hunter, a human named Tamara. She had long, straight and neat black hair that contrasted with her messy and haphazardly put together armor. It seemed she was really getting the best that the Vanguard had to offer. 

The Hunter looked Ava up and down. 

"Well, you're definitely not what I was expecting. Nice to meetcha!" Tamara's smile was like a predator's, uncanny with an edge to it. Exodus said nothing.

"I can only hope you two aren't as incompetent as the other City Guardians I've met." Ava huffed. 

"Oh ho ho, you must not know who I am then! Hero of the Black Garden and slayer of Crota. If anyone's fit for killing Oryx, it's me!" she beamed with her hands on her hips. Ava nodded to Exodus.

"So what's your story?"

"Well, I didn't want to miss the chance to study one of the most powerful deities in the universe firsthand. Plus, the Hive are just fascinating. Some of my favorite experiments have been with them." 

"Considering what I know of your kind, I doubt it's anything good." Ava shuddered. "Well, let's get to it then." She still wondered if it would just be better to go alone. 

When they arrived on the Dreadnaught, an overwhelming sense of dread permeated the air. Seeing so much Hive corruption condensed into one place was sickening. Despite the urge to just leave and never come back, they pushed through to its rotten core. Exodus was less disturbed however, and was constantly stopping to pick up samples of Hive and Taken biomass. To the other two's extreme disgust, he even brought back a worm with him. Ava made a point to crush every worm she saw from that point onward.

Despite her best efforts to hate them, Ava was starting to trust them. She had to admit, watching Tamara cut up Hive with her arcblade was a very nice sight. And despite Exodus' unnerving habits, he was brutally efficient with dealing with the Hive. It would take a lot of getting used to being with other people, however. 


	4. Our Pain is All that is True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava, along with her new fireteam, become the Hivesbane. She also realizes that she doesn't quite hate them as much as she'd like to think she does.

Ava sat at one of the windows in her ship, melancholic. She stared at the Dreadnaught with a newfound sense of hate. News about the disappearance of Mara Sov had just begun spreading, and Ava felt lost. At first, Oryx was just another obstacle to overcome, a new crucible to prove her worth by. But now, it became personal. She'd kill however many Hive it took to bring her Queen back. 

Exodus sat next to her, sipping some tea while looking through a beat up looking leather tome. Ava knew better than to ask what it was. Tamara stood, checking her guns. Satisfied, she walked over and put a reassuring hand on Ava's back. "Oryx stands no chance against a pissed off Awoken. We'll get him, don't worry!" she said. Ava just shrugged. "I'm ready. Let's go." She put on her helmet and grabbed her hammer, fire burning in her heart. 

Tamara worried for her. If there was one thing she knew about Reefborn Awoken, is that they were fiercely loyal to their Queen. But another thing she knew was that fighting when you have nothing left to lose is dangerous. They may have just met, but losing a fellow Guardian always hurt. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. 

They made their way to Oryx's throne room, leaving a trail of cracked chitin plates and Taken ectoplasm. Making it to him was the easy part, but they knew failure was not an option. Tamara felt the same sense of dread as when she felled Crota. On the other hand, Exodus was giddy at the prospect of getting samples from a real, actual Hive god. 

Ava ended him with a round of her shotgun. He wailed as he dissipated into nothingness. It seemed it was over, but the three had enough experience with the Hive to know death is never the end for them. It was all they could do for now, though. They stood over where he once was, looking at the remaining ashes and shattered sword hilt. Ava suspected Eris would be very interested in that. 

When they made it back to the Tower, both the Vanguard and the fireteam knew this was only the first step to their planned regicide. There was only one place left to go: deeper into the Dreadnaught. Ava just wanted this to be over. 

The Vanguard assigned them another three Guardians, and she didn't bother to remember their names. She was too focused on their task. "God, I hope there isn't going to be a bigger Hive god angry at us once we kill Oryx." Tamara joked as they made their way into the Ascendant Plane. "Going through that once is enough."

The Warpriest preached his final sermon, and Golgoroth's gaze fell on the sight of his own destruction. They silenced the Sister's death-threnodies, and suddenly they were at the culmination of it all. Ava felt as if she were falling into the eye of a storm. She didn't know if this was the quiet, or the apex.

Ava hated nothing more in this world than the feeling of being split between two worlds. It felt heavy, as if the weight of another existence was crushing her. It was worth it to see his ravaged body drift into Saturn at the end. She clutched a swath of his hide, red as a buckshot casing. As much as she loved trophies, she wanted nothing more than to burn it to cinders.

The first thing she did when she arrived back in her ship was take a long, hot shower to scrub the stink of Taken essence and Hive ritual incense off of her. It still hadn't quite sunk in yet that she just killed one of the most powerful beings that had ever existed. She didn't feel any different. The rage was still there, the clawing need to bring the Queen back. Maybe she'd just have to accept that she'd already done all she could, as much as it hurt. 

When she arrived back at the Tower, she was welcomed as a hero. She was both frustrated and couldn't help but laugh at the constant praise she received. She didn't do this for them, the Tower or the City. She did this for her Queen. It was pathetic that the City needed help with this at all, but at least it was worth it. She went to Eris and gave her the ritual materials she required, and she was now the owner of the Touch of Malice. A fitting end to this, she thought. Ava liked Eris. They both knew how being in a Tower full of people that didn't want them there. 

She just wanted to get out of the Tower as soon as possible. She made her way to the hangar, and tried to ignore Tamara who was fast approaching her. Unfortunately for Ava, she knew she could never outrun a Hunter. She sighed and stopped to talk to her.

"Hey! You leaving already?"

"Yeah. Got plenty more jobs to do." 

"Aw, I was hoping you'd stick around for a while." Tamara sounded genuinely somewhat sad. "It was nice to work with a Guardian like you, even if you don't talk much." she laughed. 

"You two surprised me. You didn't manage to get in my way. It was fun, but my time has passed." Ava turned and started walking away. 

Tamara kept walking with her. "Coming from you, I'll take it." she laughed. "You know, maybe we could work on some jobs together. I could use some spending glimmer." 

Ava weighed the consequences in her head. She'd have to split her pay, but then again, she didn't have much need for glimmer anymore. Plus, she'd proved that she was actually competent unlike most Guardians. If it was a fluke, then at least she was nice to look at. She sighed. "Fine."

Tamara grinned. "Awesome! I'll see you around, then." she winked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ladies and gentlemen. theyre lesbians


	5. Hyperion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamara is growing on Ava, as much as she doesn't want to admit it.

"So, you gonna tell me what we're doing out here?" Tamara asked. She and Ava were currently sitting in orbit over Mars, and she already wasn't looking forward to trying to get sand out of all of her gear. 

"We're here to clear out a den of Wolves. Bunch of very high wanted ones are there, so the Reef wants them gone." Ava responded, the clatter of her armor coming through the transmission. 

"Sounds simple enough." Tamara said, confidence apparent in her voice. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just kill on sight. Bounty's 5 thousand per wanted target. You ready?"

"Hell yeah."

When they landed on Mars, they immediately mounted their sparrows and headed to the location. Tamara was glad Ava lead them there, as she got to admire her choice of armor on the way there. Some time into the ride, Ava's Ghost, Kindle, broke the silence. 

"She must really like you, Tamara. Ava never runs with other people." 

"Shut up, Kindle." Ava groaned. 

"Oh, is that true?" Tamara said in a sing song voice. "Your Ghost's name is Kindle? That's so cute!" she giggled. Ava just shook her head and sighed. "My Ghost's name is Thule. If you're lucky you'll get to meet him. He's very shy." she said excitedly. Ava didn't want to admit it, not yet at least, but her enthusiasm for everything was quite endearing. 

They came to a small crack in the Martian landscape, an unassuming imperfection in the lithosphere. "If I know Fallen, this'll be where they're hiding." Tamara said as she peered down into the hole. She looked over to Ava and shrugged. "Let's get to it!" 

As soon as they landed, they knew they were in the right spot. The cave system they were in opened up into a large grotto, with some makeshift buildings littered about. Ava wasted no time, and slung her hand cannon from its holster. A Vandal screeched at her, and the howls from the rest of the pack soon filled the cave, vociferous and shrill. She silenced it with a bullet, and Tamara hit one between its four eyes with a knife as another one dug into the hide of a Captain. 

It was when a very, very large Eliksni slithered through a fissure in the wall they realized this was when things got complicated. Ava called upon her hammer and charred a horde of Fallen to cinders. Tamara's wild laugh echoed through the cave as she riddled the newly appeared Captain with holes from her Golden Gun. Soon, it finally quieted down, and Ava checked the bodies of her quarries. 

"Twenty-one. You had nineteen. A close one I'll give you that." Tamara said breathily as she jogged over to Ava. She didn't respond, just looked her in the eyes. "Kills! I was keeping count." she answered after a moment of awkward silence. 

"You counted?" Ava said with a disbelieving laugh. 

"'Course I did. You don't?"

Ava knelt over the body of a Vandal and tore its cloak off. "You counted wrong. I got twenty." she sighed. "Big guy was a good one though. Got him before I could even get to him, damn you." she laughed, looking up at her.

Tamara grinned. She knew she was the one. 


	6. Hesperus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava has an unwanted visitor, and she spends some more time with Tamara.

Ava awoke in her ship from a dream she couldn't remember. She looked to her side briefly, slid out of bed and got dressed. Tamara was here, but she assumed she was probably out in a Crucible match. She stood at the window and looked out at the vast cityscape. As much as she loathed the City, being so close to the Traveler was worth it. Her mind still foggy from sleep, she walked into the main room of her ship and decided to start making some tea. 

She froze when she saw the figure across the room staring at her. She took a knife from the table and threw it at the figure, but it vanished. When she ran to pull it out of the wall, a voice made her jump. She didn't know if it was good or bad that she recognized it. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." 

"Exodus? What in the hell are you doing here?" She turned around and saw him standing at the kitchen table. 

"I hadn't heard from you since we killed Oryx. I wanted to see how you've been." His face was unsettlingly blank.

"I've been fine. You could've just called, or something, you know." she glared.

"Again, I apologize. Tamara said you've become friends as of late and I figured I'd visit." He pushed the bottom plate of his jaw up and his eyes shifted. It looked like his attempt at a smile, but Ava couldn't be sure. 

"I didn't know you knew her." she said as she walked back to the stove, the teapot screeching.

"Of course! We're a fireteam. You didn't think she killed Crota alone, did you?" 

"Wouldn't put it past her." she shrugged.

Exodus looked around her ship. Trophies littered the walls, he expected as much from a mercenary. He noticed shelves full of books, bones, various things. He held a Sunbreaker incense burner, admiring it, and set it back down when he saw Ava's glare. "Are these Ahamkara bones?" he asked.

"Gods, no. I wouldn't let that evil in here. It's Eliksni, mostly. Some Cabal." 

"Shame. I haven't seen a good piece in a long time." he said disappointedly. He walked over to a hanging shelf on the opposite wall, pulling her hand cannon off of it. Looking over it, he could tell it once had a brilliant white shining finish, but was now a dull grey after hundreds, if not thousands of battles. It was a hell of a thing, nearly a foot and a half long, he thought. If it weren't for his gauntlets he'd barely be able to hold it. He was wiping some Martian sand off of it when Ava snatched it out of his hands suddenly. She pulled the cylinder off of it and removed the hammer in one quick, fluid motion.

"Nice gun." Exodus said as if nothing was wrong. 

"I know." she practically growled. She sipped her tea, still scalding hot. 

"You know, maybe our Titans here are soft after all. Never seen one do that before." Exodus said with a single laugh. Ava just narrowed her eyes and took another drink. “Well, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll see you around, Ava.” Exodus said with a small bow before blinking away. She sighed, and opened a comm line with Tamara.

A few hours later, Ava found herself in the City streets. Tamara pulled her by her hand through the City, surprised at the strength she pulled her with. “I can’t believe you’ve never been here before!” Tamara said excitedly. “Man, I have so many places to show you.” 

"Tamara, I wasn’t allowed here until a month ago.” Ava reminded her.

“Oh, right!” she said with a snort. “Well, you missed out!” 

They stopped in a plaza, buildings surrounding them and trees towering over them. Ava was almost overwhelmed by how many people were here. When she thought about it, the most people she'd been around at one time was in a Crucible match. Ava let go of her hand and looked around, taking everything in. She looked up at the sky and watched the birds fly about, and when she turned, the Traveler was there in all of its ominous glory. She was a bit breathless seeing it so close up. The sun felt so far away when she looked at it. She didn’t like it.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Tamara said. “I still remember my first time here. It makes me sad to think that there isn’t really anything like this out there…”

Ava frowned. ‘You haven’t seen the Reef then,’ she wanted to say, but held back. She looked into the sun for a few more moments, and looked back at Tamara with eyes that looked much the same as the star. When she smiled her crooked smile, Ava sighed. She hated this place, but it was starting to grow on her, if only because of Tamara. “It’s kinda weird you can do that, you know.” Tamara said with a laugh. “I mean, I guess I could too, but Thule wouldn’t be happy about it.” Ava just shrugged. “A Sunbreaker thing.” she responded.

“Anyways!” Tamara almost shouted, and grabbed Ava’s hand again. “There’s an antique shop around here I really like, let’s go there!” They came to a short building packed between stalls and crowds of people, with a sign that simply said ‘Antiques.’ Inside there were walls of books, some clothes, various Golden Age technology, and a few guns. A man that looked older than a Techeun sat behind the counter. Naturally, Ava went to the guns. 

Much to her disappointment, none of them were actually that interesting, or antique to begin with. They were mostly Suros designs, with the appearance of Golden Age arms to evoke nostalgia. Tamara ran to her holding an absolutely ancient looking statue of what appeared to be a Guardian. “Look at this! It’s an old Iron Lord statue.” She flipped it around, looking into the face of the figure. “Dunno which one it is though, they didn’t have Vanguards back then. Hard to tell what class they were.” Ava knew she’d have to ask her what an Iron Lord was, but now was not the time nor the place. She made a short hum of acknowledgement, and looked over at the shelf of books next to her.

“So, you’re must be like, really rich right?” Tamara asked.

“Huh?” Ava asked, turning back around to look at her.

“You know, you’re a system-wide famous mercenary. You must have tons of glimmer!”

“Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious! I never considered whether you made more than a Guardian does, or not.” Ava just sighed. 

“How much is it?” 

“That’s not why I asked,” Tamara said a bit bashfully. “But I would appreciate it. I’ve wanted it for my ship for a long time but always needed the money for repairs or upgrades.” Ava smiled and nodded, and Tamara nearly jumped through the roof in excitement.

By the time they were done visiting all of the shops and places Tamara wanted to take them, the sun was starting to dip into the horizon. There was one last place that she said they had to go to, a restaurant that she said ‘was worth being rezzed for.’ “So, what’s your story?” Tamara asked before she took a bite of her tiramisu. Ava looked back at her, unblinking. “You know, what was your rez like? How was being a Guardian like, at first?” Tamara clarified.

Ava took a long, deep breath. “I used to be a Corsair. In my other life. Kindle found me in my Galliot, and the first thing I remember was thinking that he was there to kill me, again.” She cleared her throat and looked at her nails. “I hated being a Guardian at first. I suppose I still do, to an extent. But I got used to it.”

“Why’d you hate it?” Tamara asked, eyes bright in the dimming light.

“I never chose to come back. The Traveler made that choice for me, and I hated it. I didn’t want to be alive again, and act like it was just something that happened sometimes. Be around other people that should be dead. I didn’t know what my purpose was in this new life, and that’s where the Sunbreakers came in.” She exhaled, slowly. “That’s about it.”

Tamara thought about it for a while, tracing her fingers on Ava’s palm. “Yeah, I can see why you hated it.” she finally said. “I wondered that for a while, too. It didn’t seem real to me that we were resurrected just… to be weapons. But I accepted it. Because if no one else, who us?” she laughed. “I was resurrected in Old Russia, way out east. It was a frozen wasteland, and I had no ship or sparrow for hundreds of miles. Walked the whole way, through blizzards, and hailstorms, and Fallen. Only Thule to keep me company.” she grinned. “He was the only thing I knew for months that didn’t want to kill me.” 

Ava laughed a bit. “I know how that feels.” she said as smiled back at her. Tamara wished she’d smile more, it was far too rare of an occurrence. 

“You know, I heard that the Vanguard’s setting up a sparrow racing league.” Tamara said as they walked back to the Tower hangar.

“Is that so?”

“You interested?” she asked, looking up at Ava.

“Might need to invest in a sparrow, yeah.” she smirked slightly.

“You better! We’re racing tomorrow.” she said, her voice fierce.

“Expect to lose. You’ll be less disappointed that way.” Ava said plainly, and Tamara laughed. Despite Ava being a foot taller than her, Tamara put her hands on the side of her face, pulled her down and kissed her. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said, poking her in the stomach. Ava walked into her ship and geared up for her next mission, smile stuck on her face the whole way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whenever i have trouble coming up with a chapter name, song titles are always there for me


	7. Raven Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After losing her Queen, Ava is faced with losing even more.

As she flew back to the Tower, Ava immediately knew something was wrong. Her instincts were proven when she saw the Traveler in a cage, and Cabal ships flooding the sky. The dread came in waves as she landed in the courtyard, immediately gunning down as many legionaries as she could. Through the chaos, all she could figure out was that a "Ghaul" was sieging the Tower. Now that she had a name, she felt a bit more relieved. Simple enough, she thought, to board his ship and kill him. If she could say she had a specialty, it would certainly be killing Cabal. 

The words coming from Ghaul barely registered in her head as she was more concerned about what would be the best way of killing him. The Light being drained from her body put an unexpected end to her reverie, and before she could react, she was falling. 

The shock of losing her Light was more painful than the drop. A formation of Phalanxes crossed a bridge overhead, and the newfound feeling of fear gripped her as their spotlights narrowly missed her. She picked herself up, grabbed her gun, and from there, there was only question left. What would she do now? What could she do? She desperately wanted to fight, but she knew how that would end. 

Ava was used to wandering, but aimlessly wandering the forest made her feel like she was newly resurrected again. She came to a ridge, and finally had a good look at the Traveler in its new prison. For the second time in this life, she was scared. 

After hours of avoiding Cabal patrols and hidden Fallen dens, she finally found what seemed to be a safe place. The people there called it the Farm, and there were already groups of guardians taking refuge. She'd rather be anywhere but here, but with no ship or sparrow, what choice did she have?

She couldn't stand that it had come to this. That after all she'd been through, after begrudgingly working with the Vanguard, this would happen. She was angry at herself for ever being foolish enough to let herself get in this position. More than anything, she wished she knew where Tamara was. 

While sulking in the rusted rafters of the main building, she overheard Ikora saying something about a 'shard of the Traveler.' Immediately she got up to her feet, itching for something to do. As dangerous as it was, it was better than sitting here doing nothing. At the very least, she had to try. 

As she walked through the forest, the cold air nipping at her served as a reminder of her stolen Light. She was never a pessimist, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was heading to her death. Her thoughts drifted, but were unified as she came to a small clearing in the tall grass. A cracked white wall stood in front of her, as well as a Fallen prying at a fissure in the wall. The realization of what she found hit her the same moment as the adrenaline. She slunk behind the eliksni, silent as the forest, and buried her knife in the back of its neck. She pulled the knife out of the body with little resistance, and tossed it aside. 

She looked up at the shard. It stretched up into the sky, lightning crackling the whole way up. Mist condensed around her as she put her hand to it. The feeling of her Light flooding back into her was overwhelming, it felt like being resurrected all over again. The time without her Light had felt like eons, but now it all felt like a blur. Now that it was relatively safe, Kindle left his hiding spot in her collar and basked in the Light of the shard. 

"I never would've guessed this would still have any power…" he said as he buzzed around the shard, trying to find every detail. Silently, Ava carved a small piece out of the wall where the late fallen was digging, and sighed. She nodded to her ghost. "Let's go." 

When she got back to her spot, she pulled the still-glowing shard out of a pocket in her armor. She sat leaning against the wall, turning it over in her hands and shaving any imperfections off of it with her knife. 

"Why did you bring a piece back? You already have your Light back." Kindle asked. In response, Ava gave him a heavy glare. After a moment, he let out a nearly silent "oh," feeling more than a little bad now. She spent a few hours shaving and whittling the shard to an oval like shape until she was finally satisfied. Still warm to the touch, she held it against her chest and took a deep sigh. She desperately hoped she'd have the chance to give it to Tamara. After all of the day's events, the exhaustion caught up with her and she slept fitfully. 

The next day, she watched every new guardian that arrived, waiting. To her disbelief she saw Tamara already there, talking to Tyra. She jumped down to the ground level, and had to keep herself from running over to her. 

"Oh my god, I was so afraid you-" Tamara started to say, but was interrupted by Ava hugging her with all of her force. 

"I'm never leaving you alone again." Ava said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in her shoulder. 

"Hey, be careful, if you crush me you'll kill me now!" Tamara joked, and Ava couldn't help but laugh. "Speaking of, Tyra was telling me about some shard of the Traveler's supposed to be 'round here. You wanna come with me?" 

"No need." Ava said as she pulled away. "I have something for you, actually." Ava pulled the shard from a pocket and put it in her hand. Before Tamara could even react, the Light was coursing through her once again. The first thing she did was conjure her Arcblade, and beamed when it actually came to her. 

"The only thing we need now is a ship." Ava smirked.

"Well, we're lucky I've still got mine!" Tamara kissed her before running over to the Farm's makeshift hangar. Ava had almost felt bad for previously thinking they'd never get here, but was thankful it was one of the few times she was wrong. Ideally, she'd keep it that way.


	8. Red Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of it all, she realizes that she's come all this way for a good reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this'll be the final entry in this work, but ill definitely be writing more about them + others in single fics most likely! thank you so much to everyone thats been reading so far, and don't forget you can catch me on twitter @amethystsaint!

Ava stared at the stars flashing by as she traveled to Titan, desperately trying to get lost in them. "The light of NLS travel can be hypnotic," she'd always heard. She wished it was true in this case. Earlier, she'd been spending all day trying to communicate with her fellow Sunbreakers to no avail. Finally, she found a broadcast confirming her worst fears. She didn't know what to do. She'd lost her Queen all those years ago, and was abandoned by her derelict Prince. Now she'd lost her only other home in this universe. There was nothing left here for her anymore. She had her Light back, she was free. She hadn't even realized she'd landed on the Rig until her hands reflexively grabbed the controls to her ship. She could just take Tamara and fly far, far from here, to another galaxy. Her only home left was the stars. 

At the same time, she knew she couldn't leave, not yet anyway. She needed vengeance. She stepped out of her ship and into the pouring rain, desperately wishing there were Cabal on this moon to slaughter. She silently did what Zavala and Sloane asked of her, as much as she hated it. It was just one more step between her and Ghaul.

"You've been quiet this whole time. What's up?" Tamara asked, finally breaking the silence. Ava just stared back at her in response. She didn't know what to say. The transmission had been repeating in her head ever since she read it. She could almost hear Ouros' voice in her mind, reading it aloud. Kindle read it again, one last time for Tamara. "I… I'm sorry." she said after a few minutes of silence. "We'll get revenge. Together." Ava nodded solemnly.

"Thank you. For being here, with me."

Titan, Nessus, Io, and the EDZ all passed her by in a flash. Never stopping for anything, other than sleep when exhaustion overtook her. It was the same dream every time - blue talons uprooting a field of putrid black flowers. Ava was unsure if it was a portent for the future, or merely a nightmare, but it unsettled her all the same. She stopped telling Tamara about them after the fourth time. 

Tamara was worried for her, to say the least. She'd never seen Ava so deathly determined for anything before, it was unnerving. She'd been alive long enough to know that kind of grim focus almost never ends well. She hadn't heard from Exodus since the attack, and as resilient as he was, her hopes were starting to falter. She hoped this all wouldn't end in ruin.

Sooner than either of them thought it'd come, they were on approach to the Traveler itself, Ghaul's ship blotting its light. Tamara was excited; she'd never felt so close to the Light. _This _is what being a Guardian was really about.__

__As they walked through the deserted streets of the City, Ava took in the sights of the ruined stalls and buildings. She looked into the eyes of dead Guardians and civilians alike. This is who she was here for; a civilization that never wanted her. She couldn't be angry anymore. At this point, she knew how it felt to just want to be safe. As different as they were, she realized that her true calling in this life was to protect them. If she couldn't do it for her loved ones, she'd do it here and now._ _

__Ghaul cast a horrible shadow on the Traveler. Ava was never one to let shadows remain unlit. Her Hammer came to her with a new weight, and an oppressive heat. Tamara's mind was already long gone in a trance, her Golden Gun's flames licking her entire body, its shots leaving gaping holes in Ghaul's hide. He fought back with his own bastardization of the Light, but they made clear to him what it truly meant to be the Traveler's chosen._ _

__Dominus Ghaul lay sundered and thoroughly dead, her smoldering Hammer melting her gloves and searing her hands and the Light healing her in the same instant. After all of this Ava had realized; the Forge had finally come to her. Though she wished her friends were here to witness it, she knew they'd be proud of her. It'd have to be enough. Together, they looked up and watched as the Traveler awoke under a new sky._ _

__"It's over." Tamara whispered reverently, clutching Ava's hand. "When we get back to the Farm, Cayde owes me a lot of glimmer." she laughed, looking up at Ava with her crooked smile. Ava shook her head, laughing despite everything, and kissed her._ _

__"Never thought I'd work so well with a City Guardian."_ _


End file.
